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Encompass Community Services
Santa Cruz, California

Clinical Counselor- Santa Cruz Residential Recovery

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

Salary Range: $27.00/hr

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Job DetailsJob Location: Santa Cruz, CA 95060Salary Range: $27.00 - $27.00 HourlySummary: The Clinical Counselor at our Santa Cruz Residential Recovery program, located in Santa Cruz, will provide individual therapy, case management, crisis intervention, and group counseling services to Drug MediCal eligible residential participants and assist with stabilizing the substance use disorder and mental health of participating clients.

Clinical interventions, strategies and services will be based on best practices and selected evidence based practices for mental health and substance use disorders and/or co-occurring disorders. These evidence based practices include, Motivational interviewing, CBT, and mindfulness based practices.

This position will work collaboratively with residential counseling staff to ensure that clients receive whole person care and appropriate coordination of treatment services.

Responsibilities

Provides direct client individual therapy and case management or group therapy in accordance with funder requirements and agency policies and evidence based practices Clinical Counselor are either responsible for a caseload of up to ten clients throughout their treatment or responsible for facilitation and training of evidence based groups to fidelity.

Conduct regular various assessments of client including but not limited to ASAM, biopsychosocial and risk assessments as needed Provides crisis intervention and counseling Maintain communication with external providers, coordinators and other entities involved in client care and or funding Maintains client confidentiality by adhering to HIPAA and 42CFR reulations Responsible for utilizing the approach of Motivational Interviewing to assure a client-centered approach to persons of diverse and underserved backgrounds Participates in own clinical supervision provided by Encompass for interns Adherence to and support of Encompass personnel, facility and expense policies Can be depended upon to report consistently to work at scheduled time and seldom cancels appointments with clients Employee adheres to MediCal documentation requirements and complete work in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner and is conscientious about assignments Follows instructions, responds to management direction, is accountable, and keeps commitments.

Maintaining clear professional and personal boundaries Qualifications: 5 years experience in SUD treatment Knowledge of CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, mindfulness and other evidence based practices. Certified with recognized AOD certifying agency Position requires ability to meet OSHA mask fitting requirements.

Facial hair must be trimmed or shaved to ensure a proper seal for mask fitting. Must communicate effectively and be able to use or learn current technology including electronic health records, in the following areas: case notes, assessments, treatment plans, case management.

Demonstrated skills and understanding of effective treatment of addiction and recovery Organizational ability to keep accurate records Wages & Benefits: We prioritize the well-being of our team as much as the community we serve. Our comprehensive health benefits reflect this commitment.

We offer full-time employees medical and dental insurance plan that ensures peace of mind for themselves and their families. We go beyond traditional care by also offering our employees acupuncture and chiropractic, embracing a holistic approach to health that aligns with our values of care and compassion.

Our team’s future matters just as much as the present. That’s why we offer a 403(b) retirement plan, providing a foundation for a secure retirement.

We also recognize the need for work-life balance, so Encompass offers a competitive package of 11 vacation days, 15 additional paid holidays, and 12 sick days, These benefits are thoughtfully pro-rated for part-time positions, affirming our commitment to fairness and flexibility.

About Us

At Encompass Community Services we provide our community with a wide range of services related to family & social well-being, behavioral health, housing and more. Every day through these services we work to make health, education and housing more equitable for all people in Santa Cruz County. For more than 50 years our work has touched generations by helping people have access to education, rebuild relationships, restore their health and regain dignity.

Qualifications

Key Responsibilities

The Clinical Counselor provides individual and group therapy, case management, and crisis intervention for residential clients. They are responsible for maintaining accurate clinical documentation and coordinating care with external providers.

Requirements

Candidates must have 5 years of experience in substance use disorder treatment and hold a recognized AOD certification. Proficiency in evidence-based practices such as CBT and Motivational Interviewing is required.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

ASAM assessmentBiopsychosocial assessmentRisk assessmentHIPAA compliance42CFR regulationsAddiction recovery

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Addiction Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 44% are remote, 24% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

Addiction Medicine pay on WeekdayDoc is down 3.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$56k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $51k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

32 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution32 jobs · 26 employers

7
<$90k
11
$90k-105k
6
$105k-120k
6
$120k-135k
2
$135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs · 26 employers

401k / retirement match
93% this job
CME allowance
50%
Sign-on bonus
27%
Loan repayment
17%
Relocation assistance
10%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)

LifeStance Health · Poway, California

$118k-$135k
#2

Licensed Clinical Therapist (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC)

Integrated Pain Management Medical Group · Walnut Creek, California

$115k-$135k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC)

$117k-$134k
#4

Therapist

$100k-$126k
+ 30 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Addiction Medicine (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,285 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Santa Cruz

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.44M
Typical market rent
$3,532/mo
Residents’ average commute
23 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
109.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Encompass Community Services logo

About Encompass Community Services

Individual and Family Services
Santa Cruz, CA
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Acupuncture
Chiropractic
403(b) retirement plan
11 vacation days
15 paid holidays
12 sick days